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Angela Liao

Fourth-Year Double Major Psychology and Early Childhood Education Double Dawg

Contact Information
al82101@uga.edu
How did I get involved in IMPACT?
     My first IMPACT trip was my freshman year where I went to Baltimore for Veterans Awareness and Advocacy (my RA was my site leader and she was the one who encouraged me to apply!). It was a truly eye-opening experience where I could learn more about intentional service-learning and social justice with a group of open-minded and kind-hearted people. Since then, I’ve participated in IMPACT every year, once more as a participant sophomore year and then once as a site leader junior year. I’m excited to embark on one more IMPACT trip and serve the local community of Charleston and I hope that my participants have as great time as I have!

Why Ageism?
Ageism is a social justice issue that affects a large population of people from all walks of life, but is also a social justice issue that is often not talked about. It intersects with other social issues and is very complex in nature; aging is a natural process that has become a social problem, with explicit external obstacles and implicit negative norms. Our perceptions of the aging process,  how we are socialized to interact with people of different age groups, and the institutional barriers placed against certain populations hugely affect levels of happiness and well-being. Age does not define ability, so I am interested in exploring how to combat this issue in an intentional manner. 

Fun Fact: 
    The definitive ranking of frozen dairy products is gelato, frozen yogurt, ice cream.
Jena Jibreen

​Second-Year Double Major International Affairs and Psychology

Contact Information
jena.jibreen@uga.edu​
How did I get involved in IMPACT?
Even before I arrived at UGA for my freshman year, I constantly heard about IMPACT through my sister and her roommate, who had experience in leading trips herself. So, when I finally got to UGA, I knew that IMPACT was something I was interested in getting involved with, and I signed up for the winter break trip to Charlotte for Shelter and Resource Access. I really loved being a part of the service-learning experience alongside extremely kind and considerate participants on the trip. I met some of the most amazing people ever since getting involved in IMPACT, and my lovely site leaders made it clear to me why this is an experience I want to continue to be a part of. I can’t wait to serve alongside others in our winter break trip to Charleston!
 
Why Ageism?
Even though ageism affects a very large portion of society, from the elderly to the youth, it is not talked about nearly enough. I, myself, hear very little about this social justice issue on a daily basis, and I am uncomfortable with being oblivious to certain nuances of the matter. Many of the issues surrounding ageism are institutionally- and culturally- based, and there is a wide intersection with other social justice issues that makes this even more complex and pressing. The stereotype that assumes a person’s age defines them is incredibly detrimental, and I look forward to learning more about how we can combat these problems and how we can serve those harmed by them, in an effective and intentional manner.
 
Fun Fact: 
I am an apple (the fruit) expert—give me any apple, and I’ll tell you what kind it is, how good it’s going to be, and which parts of it you should avoid. I urge you to try me (not a threat, just a kind suggestion).
 
Key Terms:
  • Ageism
    • Discrimination based on age
    • 3 Types
      • Implicit Ageism
        • Thoughts, feelings and actions toward older adults that exist and operate without conscious awareness, intention or control
      • Explicit Ageism
        • There is a conscious awareness, intention or control in the thoughts, feelings or actions of an institution, law or person in regards to the treatment or consideration of an older adult
      • Internalized Ageism
        • A form of ingroup discrimination in which older adults marginalize and discriminate against other older people
  • Microaggressions
    • Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults to the target person or group
    • Example: Elderspeak
      • Specialized speech style used by younger adults with older adults; characterized by simpler vocabulary and sentence structure, filler words, lexical fillers, overly-endearing terms, closed-ended questions, using the collective "we", repetition, and speaking more slowly
  • Infantilization
    • To treat or condescend as if someone is still a young child
  • Gerontology
    • The scientific study of old age and the process of aging
  • Gerontophobia
    • Fear of aging and even hatred of older people
​Additional Information About Ageism 
  • Effects of ageism
    • As people get older, their body undergoes natural changes.
      • This natural process becomes social stigma when people promote stereotypes of aging in the fields of social isolation, physical decline, cognitive decline, and lack of physical abilities. 
      • Perpetuation of these prejudices can have negative effects such as cardiovascular stress, lowered levels of self-efficacy, and decreased productivity. 
    • Ideology that to be young is to be productive and happy; the older individuals get, the lower their levels of happiness are. 
  • Accessibility to food, housing, healthcare
    • The senior population in the United States is growing rapidly, but many do not have reliable access to the resources needed for full and healthy lives
    • 1 in 5 Americans are 60 or older
    • 9 million seniors face the threat of hunger
    • 1 in 4 seniors live alone; 1 in 5 feels lonely
    • Issues of hunger and isolation are further compounded by financial strain
  • Employment discrimination
    • 25% of claims to the US Equal Opportunity Commission is related to age-related discrimination
    • Older workers receive less interview opportunities as well as less on-the-job training and development
  • Elder abuse
    • Five out of six cases of elder abuse go unreported
How Ageism Looks Like in Athens/Georgia:
  • Georgia Age Discrimination Act prohibits private employees from discriminating on the basis of age
  • In Georgia, the number of reported cases of abuse increased 65 percent from 2008 to 2012, according to the Georgia Council on Aging. 
  • In 2013, Georgia lawmakers expanded the definition of elder abuse to include sexual abuse and financial exploitation.
  • Of Georgia’s population ages 60 and older, an estimated 385,845 lived alone (2014).
  • As of 2017, an estimated 26.88% of Georgians 60 and older were in the workforce.
  • In Athens, there exists the Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA), which provides meals, centers for health and wellness, and caregiver support for the older population. 
    • ACCA’s mission also includes advocating at the local, state, and national levels for funding and legislation that align with the needs of older adults in the community.